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New #SanJoseSong featuring New Zealander raises concerns

San Jose’s tourism leaders are trying to get more people talking about and visiting the city. People are definitely talking now.

For many in the 10th largest city in America, San Jose is their hometown. For Grace Kelly, that’s not the case. That’s why people are sounding off about the city’s new music promo, featuring Kelly singing a “love letter” to San Jose, which was launched to encourage people to visit the city. The video shows Kelly, a teenager from New Zealand who lived in San Jose as a child and now lives back in New Zealand, riding her scooter through Willow Glen and walking around Santana Row, among other places.

After Karolyn Kirchgesler — CEO of Team San Jose, the city’s visitors authority — discovered Kelly’s country pop song about her beloved Silicon Valley city, she asked Team San Jose’s vice president of marketing, Laura Chmielewski, to produce and promote a music video for the song to boost tourism and outside engagement with San Jose.

But not everyone is convinced the song captures the cultural spirit and deep diversity of the city.

Assemblyman Ash Kalra suggested on Twitter that the city could have chosen another song to showcase the city, The Hometown — a mariachi-infused rap song by San Jose local hip hop artist, Rey Resurreccion from 2012, with a beat by local producer DJ Cutso.

The city released an ode to San Jose from talented New Zealander. I appreciate she sees SJ as a 2nd home. There are SJ natives who can represent our city just fine. Here’s @ReyResurreccion with The Hometown. Other examples of songs that rep San Jose well? https://t.co/w69I2Xm3dL

“The city released an ode to San Jose from talented New Zealander,” Kalra tweeted last week. “I appreciate she sees SJ as a 2nd home. There are SJ natives who can represent our city just fine.”

Many locals agree, saying the hills and scooters in Kelly’s country ode don’t look like the pho noodle bistros or the taquerias on the South side of the city off Monterey Road. That’s the San Jose Resurreccion knows — with the trumpets and the dancing, the bikes and the buckets.

Chmielewski said that the video’s promotion meant two things — the company’s CEO liked the song, and the marketing team wanted to use it to bring people to San Jose.

“It started because the CEO was sent the song and she kind of liked it, and so she called in a few other people on the staff and they thought it was catchy too,” she said. “We’re here to drive visitation, so a song from a young girl about visiting San Jose and why she loves to spend time here worked with everything we try to do to draw people in to keep the tax base lower.

“Our job is to find things that will bring people in,” Chmielewski added. “Hopefully in this case we did that.”

Shortly after Kelly’s video was released, the local Filipino emcee caught wind of his old song making rounds through the internet.

“Personally, I’ve got nothing against Grace Kelly and what she’s trying to do,” Resurreccion, 35, told San José Spotlight. “I feel like the main issue for all of us — the people who have been speaking about it, people close to The Hometown — the issue is that Visit San Jose is branding it as the San Jose anthem.”

People took to social media to express their thoughts on the new music promo from Visit San Jose — some with disdain and others with support for the city’s choice of music. San Jose resident Jeremiah Haze tweeted to Mayor Sam Liccardo after the mayor tweeted Kelly’s video: “Hey Sam! Can you tell @VisitSanJose to let the #community decide instead? This song has way more heart and way more SAN JOSE in it.”

“There’s a lot to San Jose from every side, every neighborhood. You can drive 5, 10 minutes and be in a totally different vibe, a totally different area,” Resurreccion said. “I think the diversity and the mixing of all the cultures together for me has been a real identifier for San Jose.”

The artist added that a song used to promote San Jose’s brand should reflect its deep history, including its ethnic diversity.

“If it’s not genuine, they can do as many country songs as they want, if that’s their intention. I only want them to represent real San Jose if their intention is to show people who we really are, and what we’re really about, and to represent us,” Resurreccion said. “My main intention when I spoke about this is for us to tell our own story, and not wait for Visit San Jose or anybody else for that matter, to tell it for us.”

Also on Thursday, a collective of arts groups including MACLA, The School of Arts and Culture and Giant Creative denounced the video in an open letter to Kirchgesler and Team San Jose. The local groups said they found it “disturbing” that officials felt the need to “outsource musical talent and creative production.”

The group said that it’s “apparent that Team San Jose is not interested in celebrating its own homegrown talent and vibrancy.”

“We are left with the disturbing impression that Team San Jose would rather use local talent as silent props while showcasing a young, white woman as the hostess and global ambassador for our beloved city to visitors,” the letter said. “In her song, Kelly belts out “San Jose — my second home.” Where are the voices of those who call San Jose their first and only home?”

The letter also questioned whether Kirchgesler included “San Jose natives and people of color” to inform decisions about how to represent San Jose to the world.

“Authentic representation — both on screen and at the decision-making table — is absolutely necessary to capture the essence of what makes San Jose worth visiting, and also, worth fighting for,” the letter concluded.

Contact Kyle Martin at kylebmartin96@gmail.com or follow him @Kyle_Martin35 on Twitter.

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Comments (12)

iclvJun 20, 2019 at 1:24PM

First of all, a song isn’t going to boost tourism in San Jose. What will? Giving people a reason to visit by cleaning up the streets, building out downtown and creating many more recreational/entertainment/nightlife options for visitors. The only songs that really bring people downtown in my experience, are the songs played at the Jazz Festival. Or the festivities during Christmas in the Park. Give people a reason to come here – and it’s a waste of time debating who is best to write songs about San Jose. Do we really think it’s best to have a local favorite write the song? I see the point – but this is to draw people from outside of the City, and having someone who lives in another country…well, maybe we’ll see more tourists from New Zealand. San Francisco doesn’t produce anthems to increase tourism – they increase density, retail and opportunities to be entertained.

Ok, so a song – not written our sung by someone living in San jose, a video not shot by any of the amazing talented production folks that live in San Jose about San Jose is the “Official Song”.

I think you may be missing something. Perhaps the talent, hopes and dreams of those that live here – experiences that are incredible and heartfelt, thoughtful and underappreciated should be a representative force in ANY SONG that represents San Jose.

Your logic is absurd – and it’s hilarious that people are wasting time on this nonsense. The girl is from the area, and moved – is she not able to write a song about her hometown? What is the real issue you have, just be honest?

A lot of people are born and raised somewhere, then move – yet still feel very connected to the city/town…and they have just as much of a right to love their hometown, as those that didn’t move out of the city.

I don’t see anywhere that states it’s an “official San Jose song” or some sort of anthem. It’s a good song from someone who loves San Jose, about San Jose — someone who has roots here. Your criticism is misguided and ignorant.

My first reaction after watching the video – surprised. Not what I would have expected. But it’s upbeat and positive and I think it is great. Does it fully represent our spectrum of cultures or places or “Capital of Silicon Valley” mindset? Not even close. But so be it. Others can make more music. Make different videos. Create alternative views. Those who are publicly criticizing this young artist’s tribute to our City in the name of greater inclusivity are actually projecting their own narrow mindedness.

It’s hard to be blind to the fact that people are upset (looking at the letter linked) because the young lady is white. In an area so diverse, unless you have a 50-person band that has someone from a different region of the world represented, then someone or some entity will feel not included.

I urge folks to stop spending time writing letters and produce some music videos to also submit. This young lady took initiative, created a song and submitted it to a place that is close to her heart. The fact that her lack of color is even a factor, or that because she lives in New Zealand now is an issue – is just a glaring hypocrisy by all criticizing, in my view.

Why doesn’t anyone ask Ash Kalra why he endorses a video for San Jose that shows the rapper (Ressurreccion and his friends) throwing up gang signs and talking “Banging”. Can we ask Mayor Liccardo this question at his next Mayors Gang Taskforce meeting?

This sounds more like a pitch for a Disney Channel show than real life. A 16 year old girl from halfway around the globe sent her song to the head of Team San Jose completely unsolicited and it was decided it should be the city’s anthem? Complete with a video and news coverage? And then what? She used her allowance to fly 6,000 miles to make the video? And during this whole process no one ever said, “you know, maybe a teenager who doesn’t live here isn’t the best choice for this”? Rather an entire board of directors signed off on it? I don’t know why, but something about this whole thing is just odd.

Yes, what is odd is that it hasn’t been labeled an “anthem” of San Jose – and folks like you keep trying to find some sort of non-existent conspiracy. It’s ridiculous – find something more constructive to do.

Never said it was a conspiracy. I said I don’t think Team San Jose is being particularly forthcoming about the origin of the song or how much of the TSJ’s budget was spent on this. Also, it seems to me that something looking to represent the city should be the product of the city.

And I will absolutely find something more constructive to do. If you will promise to do the same.

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